Frank Cottrell Boyce writes a NEW book for Our Read

CHILDREN’S author Frank Cottrell Boyce has penned a new book especially for us!

(c) Liverpool Daily Post and Echo

50,000 copies of The Unforgotten Coat are being given away free as part of the Our Read initiative which launches on World Book Day, 3rd March. Our Read aims to help young people experience reading for pleasure and encourage them to respond to books in new and imaginative ways.

Our annual reading campaign was launched in 2003 under the name Liverpool Reads. Previous books given away in their thousands include Andrea Levy’s Small Island, Holes, by Louis Sachar, and Frank Cottrell-Boyce’s own popular book-turned-film Millions (hugely popular in our Get Into Reading groups) in 2005.

Frank’s waived his commissioning fee to allows us to distribute the book for free. He says:

The whole point of writing for me is to share the stories that are in my head.

And nothing makes me happier than hearing that a parent has shared one of my books with their children, or their friends or their work-mates.

So the opportunity The Reader Organisation has given me here to share an idea with my whole city – and my whole city with the whole world – is the biggest thrill ride I can possibly imagine.

We have teamed up with Walker Books to publish The Unforgotten Coat, which features original photography from Edge Hill lecturer Carl Hunter who is also a member of Liverpool band The Farm (remember this?):

Jane is, as we all are, totally thrilled that Frank has given us a this wonderful book:

This is the first year our campaign book has been a specially-written title.

And we’re also going to be able to give more copies away than ever before across a much bigger area.

While the vast majority of the books will be shared and read in Mersyeside our international work means the book it will be sent as far afield as Australia, Denmark, North America and Mongolia. This means that Our Read is the biggest community shared-reading experience in the world.

More to come on where you can get your copy of the book soon. If you want more information now, please contact Charlotte Weber: charlotteweber@thereader.org.uk